The site WP7Forum.ru have a mixed reputation when coming to leaks and rumors, so like anything we should take this latest release with a grain of salt.

The data itself contains the supposed feature set of Windows Phone 7.8 and it is what many of us have come to expect—mostly the same with a few new apps. For instance, Skype is still “only an app” so no new system wide integration should be expected. That’s a technical issue and we’re 99% sure the new NT kernel is needed for those advanced VOIP features to keep it “on” all the time without killing your battery.

For the browser, IE9 will remain on Windows Phone 7.8 while WP8 of course gets the shiny new IE10. Everything else, as far as we can tell, stays the same for Windows Phone 7.8 users if this list is to be believed. Interestingly, users can expect DataSmart to come to Windows Phone 7.8 as an app. DataSmart is Microsoft's answer for keeping track of your data so as to not go over your allocated plan.

Rumored feature set of Windows Phone 7.8 vs Windows Phone 8

Of curious note, Bing Audio is evidently getting TV support on Windows Phone 8. What does that mean? It sounds a lot like Microsoft has a native solution to IntoNow.

The service IntoNow is a lot like Shazam or SoundHound, it takes an audio sample and IDs the content but instead of music, IntoNow works for TV shows. It then allows you to share that info via social networks so the world knows exactly what you're watching. So far, we have nothing similar on Windows Phone as IntoNow is a small startup and WP is not on their radar. If this info is accurate, it looks like Microsoft may have built this into Windows Phone directly. That’s pretty great of consumers who don’t want to sign up for “yet another service”.

Even though this info may be accurate, due to its source we’ll still treat it as rumor until Microsoft tells us otherwise.

Reader comments

I'm trying to follow along with the combo... but... I can't. the ads are intrusive and putting them inline with the thread is annoying. There should be some color differentiation between the ads and the threads. I'm really not liking the changes. Looks better in the phone app.

Why you guys at U.S and U.K bother, we in India, purchased lumia.... Without any contracts.... Using them and are happy with it..... We are not provided with the updates... Camera extras... Intermet sharings.... But follow all the news over WPCentral..... U guys are lucky.... Can get anothr contract for 100$ for WP8 phone... Which is 5000 rupees... We dont even get an android for that..... Lumia 800 costs 24000 rupees and 900 costs 32000 rupees.... No contracts offered... So, u guys lucky getting a smart phone cheap.... Be happy with wat u get...

Oh everyone pays man - we can't just get another contract and get a $100 phone - there is a $325 ETF if we cancel the 2 year commitment (which goes down $10 a completed month). Also the US pays some of the highest prices for cellular data.
I'm not saying we're not complaining about first world problems here, but there is a price for our 'cheap' smartphones. In fact if you want a phone off contract, generally the price is higher than realistic. Case in point - $700 for a Verizon Galaxy Nexus?? $600 for a Titan 2? I'm sure your secondary market has better prices than the list prices you quoted.

Is anyone still experiencing vanishing keyboard after tango update...funny thing is the original wp7 had the most flawless experience...didnt even see a hiccup in anything I did...smh...Samsung Focus Flash is still angry because my keyboard still runs away

WP7.8 is the nail in the coffin for me. Maybe it's my fault for buying a phone that doesn't "do everything I want on day 0". Personally I think that's a low expectation to have. I rocked iPhone's since 2007 - they always got better (like iOS4 w/ the 3g ;-) ). I've hacked a few Android devices in the past too - horrible that I had to hack to update, but I could update some of them. Was it wrong to expect Nokia's flagship would be more than just a stepping stone? Maybe I got too used to community updates for devices like my routers?
I've been very disappointed by the Lumia 900. I bought this phone to start looking into development - which while been rather easy to get started - I was disappointed with since several of my libraries written for .NET that I wanted to use as a base needed to be rewritten since the TcpSocket wrapper (for example - certainly not the only one) class doesn't exist is the WP7 SDK - nothing unsurmountable - but needing to retest rock solid libraries for a different platform when I'm doing this in my free time sucks. Couple that with a very limited feature set for background tasks (while they do work, there is a serious limit to what can be accomplished). Tombstoning sucks butt too - designing a class/interface to be serialized is fine - but you have to be very careful in everything you do. Lack of any intraprocess communication or registering with native functionality is a kill joy too.
I wanted a device I could move forward to Windows Phone 8 too. Obviously the Lumia 900 is a pretty face - but quickly becoming an all too obvious stopgap for Nokia. It needed to come out when the 800 did in Europe. The rhetoric they've been spewing about single cores will go out the window when the new 1.7GHz dual core S4 Lumia 1000 or whatever comes out. They're desparately trying to sell these things in the mean time. Hey it's a great phone (best signal ever), but let's be honest: They'll release 7.8, thow customers maybe a couple more bones in app exclusives and move on. Everyone will - WP8 will bring so much more capability to WP platform. We as Lumia 900 owners will have to watch on as Microsoft, developers, and even Nokia move to bigger better things - less than a few months after release. At least with Android older devices generally can run the latest apps - that's definitely not going to be the case with most next gen WP apps.
For those holding out hope for WP8 hacked on the Lumia - I doubt it. Embedded devices usually have boot sequences for Linux or CE. My guess is that WP8 is a totally new type, maybe with EFI underpinnings - so unless someone goes crazy and writes some sort of pre-boot EFI emulator we're stuck.
So I'm not trying to be all gloom and doom - but I'm rocking a Galaxy Nexus with Jelly Bean at the moment... yeah $350 for dual core, NFC, 720p display, $10 market credit and garunteed software updates over my Nokia... Sorry guys I'm gone. I might be back once my contract rolls around again for WP8. WP does so many things right - and I really thing Windows 8 + surface + WP8 is the future.
A big thanks to Nokia & MS for allowing me to beta test their beta phone (at least I have the hardware to sell and the phone was basically free). I have no hard feels here - as I'm breaking even. A big plus to Google for doing great hardware at a great price w/o contract.

Windows Phone 7.8 will share the same Start screen as Windows Phone 8 but little else

Isn't this what Microsoft has been saying from annoncement and all along ? (Sorry Dan, it's also the reason why I made the comment of "false hope" in that other thread)

I do hope current devices extra features that have not been annouced but, anyone saying more is just wishing on a star. Microsoft is pretty good when they say something about keeping it and to make a public statement like that, I am pretty sure thats what you'll get. If you get anything else it will be via an App.

If your counting on extras, just plan on buying a WP8 device when they are released.

Easy answer that Microsoft will give you is, "it requires dual core etc". The real reason is they know their hardcore base have the battered wives syndrome and will pay more money for a new device while saying how IE10 requires dual core to run a browser.

The lack of IE10 and most of the new stuff comes to me as no surprise. Native code between the CE and NT kernel are very different. There are all sorts of calls when dealing with the native code that need to be rewritten - even back-filled on CE.
Obviously MS is focused on providing a top notch WP8 experience (for which I don't blame them). Same with most of the software focused on their push forward. WP7 was a beta test of a new idea/scheme - and it worked extremely well. The infrastructure of CE was holding it back - and that's where WP8 comes in - same/similar expeirence - new core.
Try writing if the simplest of GUI apps in C/C++ using the CE SDK and Win32 SDK - completely different (with some similarities). I'm sure this is driving their decisions. There's a reason why we don't have a native SDK for WP7 (because it would have probably been a mess - and probably completely different from the 'future' WP8 they knew would be coming).

It probably would; but I find it hard to believe it would make such a drastic impact. Even if the impact were noticeable, it's still nice to have the option to speed up the notifications especially since we're practically near a power outlet just about anywhere we go!

Fuck MS and nokia i really hope nokia goes bankruptcy, it deserves it. I regret everyday this Lumia purchase. I'm already saving for an iPhone 5. At least i know that i will get iOS 6 and 7. MS will never give an OS for free.

How nice of you to wish people losing their jobs. How can you be so angry at a Gadget. Mate, you need to look at yourself in the mirror.
Did you not read the news before you went out and bought the Lumia?
Apparently, you and the handful of other charlies were the only people not to know an update was coming and existing devices were unlikely to get it. I got a Lumia 710 instead of a 800 or 900 as I knew they wouldn't be upgraded to Apollo.
Your device will get updated to 7.8 with some nice new features. Then when your contract runs out you can get a version 8 device. You don't _have_ to have it right this second. Your current phone will still make calls, send texts, browse the web etc.

Seriously, we are tired of people like you ranting in every comments section. You bought a phone, phones get updated. Get over it.

They won't get bankruptcy, is just a saying, MS will buy them...the Osbourne x2 (Elop effect). I have all the right to be mad, of course i did my research but i didn't think that nokia would be so stupid to burn them selves like that (burning platform anyone?). The lumia is a nice phone and it does its job very nicely and fast, but i have all the right to be angry by this, MS have done this twice to their customers. If you read this article, they try to say that maybe there's something else in 7.8, but now we know is not true, when they go radio silent, is because there's nothing else. The same thing happen with apollo, a lot of articles saying otherwise, that the current generation will get 8 but not at the end it was not true. I have the right to express my self and to be angry, maybe I'm not as smart as some of you out there that saw this coming...but damn it does not feel right, i know is just a stupid phone, but if you're the kind of guy that surf through wpcentral, gizmodo, the verge and so on, you know is not just a phone.

You are an idiot. :) That's like saying I'd like to update my windows 3.1 system to windows 7. Not gonna happen. Go tell your parents to go buy you a new phone. Only smart people will not go to another OS. Of course ios can be upgraded they have the same kernel(?)

I've had an iphone, iPad, iPod... and that OS is really not the greatest. I sold my iphone4 for a samsung focus when it first came out and now I have a Lumia 900. I dont regret moving to wp7 other than loosing about 800$$$ worth of apps I bought for ios. Nokia will not go bankrupt , and if they do, gouess who will pick them up... microsoft... As long as wp8 delivers exactly what they showed I wlll stay with this platform. I will also be getting a surface since I sold my crappy ipad..

I've jumped ship back when windows phone 7.0 launched. I sold my iphone 4 for a samsung focus and I loved the OS right from the very first day. With wp7.5 things got a lot better and there is really small things I'd like to see in the OS. The updates OTA is somehting I dont care for, integrated skyoe... dont care for, IE10.... IE9 works just fine for me.... there is only two things that I really think are a must for me. 1. a notification tab. most of the time that I get a toast I always miss it. 2. Foursquare. I'd love to be able to check into a place instantly on facebook and foursquare dirrectly from the phone without the use of the app. there is plenty of other stuff they could add... but these thwo things are basically the ones that I I'd like to see come to 7.8. Regardless they come or now to 7.8, I hope they make it to wp8 since I will be getting a wp8 device the moment they come out. But it'll be nice to see some of those features right on my Lumia 900 ;)

Yer I agree with most of that. The phone OS is already awesome.
I'd like some customization/ colours/ tiles which we are getting in 8.
Ability to change more "sounds". Separate voluem for music / calls etc (I think thats coming).
Proper background tasks for apps like Navigation is great.
Other than that its already awesome. Love it.

Can't wait for a Lumia on Verizon. Stuck with a HTC Trophy. But I like it not complaining just wish they had more to choose from. Like Android. iPhone only has I think 3. So it's not bad. Like I said waiting for Lumia on VZW.

I have to admit, i've not been overly bothered about the whole Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade path for the current range of WP's (especially as i've been perfectly fine with my Lumia 900, all mini-melts aside!) however the lack if IE10 is somewhat disheartening...
Skype Integration - would be nice but not essential
Voice Commands - still a gimmick in my opinion
DataSmart - would be nice for integration but as long as it has a livetile i'd be fine with that
Bing Audio - not really bothered about this as i have soundhound and spotify so not a dealbreaker for me
RCS-e - just read about this just now and damn that would be nice to have that integration on my Lumia!!
Cloud - Depends on what's being synced however it would be nice to have full integration etc
Updated Start screen - thank god, nice looking start screen goes a long way!
OTA updates - never had them hear in the UK so not a deal breaker for me
Visual Voicemail - again getting UK providers to activate them isn't a dealbreaker, nor have i seen any Visual Voicemail demo'd on WP devices available in the UK

Again, out of all the additions Windows Phone 8 will offers, the exclusion of IE10 is an utter bummer - sounds like i'm complaining however i am totally delighted with my Lumia 900 otherwise! But i suppose that's the price consumers pay when the mobile industry moves as fast as it does

Nope is totally accurate. See how they are releasing WP7.8, a lite feature set of WP8. Office 356 is a lite feature set of Office 365. so you get 10 less days of Office on your phone. it is all very technical how MS can transform software into days and then remove ten of them and transform the rest of the days back into software. it has only recently been proven thanks to the discovery of the Gates Particle at Cern.

MS never said current devices cant run WP8 just that current devices dont support things like NFC that WP8 will incorporate. Also MS does not want to push an update that will have to completely wipe a phone. My guess is that they are planning on XDA and other folks offering it on your own liability. Smart since wiping a phone and loading a whole new OS is risky.

I accept Microsofts stance on the situation. They're not going to support it but I doubt they'll get in the way of indie developers . Too much effort to roll out an update that could potentially brick your phone. I've had issues updating my phone on numerous occasions because my video card, yes, video card is shitty. My computer crashes anytime the video card is used extensively, even for 720p videos.

I have as much faith in XDA as anybody, but for a port to work, they're gonna need access to the new (and closed) NT kernal drivers and port them backwards to the older snap dragons. They'll also need a key to activate the services (similar to what the HD2 went through). I'm not saying it's impossible, but the slope gets VERY close without touching it.

"c'mon, whats the problem with allowing gps based background services more frequently updates than that useless 30 mins right now?"

It's not that, you guys need to think about what it means to do this. Microsoft can't just "enable" this, they have to code it into the OS and then make APIs for developers...APIs that are completely different for Windows Phone 8 and APIs for an OS that will be phased out.

Then there is the issue if CE can do this without killing our battery. BTW, I think apps CAN auto-update location every 30 mins...doesn't GMaps Pro do this for Latitude?

As every background task right now on 7.5 they can get gps information every 30 mins. But thats useless if you are about to record hiking / cycling / flying / whatever
Whats the difference battery-wise between a gps app running under the lockscreen right now keeping gps sensors live non-stop to allowing the background task doing the exact same?
True, the API has to be changed, but it shouldnt be that big of a deal to build 2 groups of background tasks - classic ones, and gps ones, with updates every few seconds. That way the change would affect only MS, not the developers. Apps would still just record what the background task hands over.

They really should consider implementing battery consuming features as well and just let the user know they might end up with huge consumption. Better than nothing.